Mitch Vanyo
2/26/2024 6:56 AM
Using clothes made with natural fibers reduces the demand for new plastics, and it reduces the amount of microplastics that enter the environment (and end up in food, water, etc.).
February 1 - February 29, 2024
Mitch Vanyo
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 932 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO170minutesspent learning
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UP TO1.0plastic containersnot sent to the landfill
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UP TO1.4poundspackaging waste avoided
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UP TO0.1poundswaste avoided
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UP TO0.3pounds of CO2have been saved
Mitch's actions
Personal Care
Replace My Toothbrush
I will replace 1 plastic toothbrushes in my household with recycled plastic, wood or bamboo toothbrushes.
Personal Care
Purchase Alternative Toothpaste
I will purchase toothpaste powder or toothpaste tabs in plastic-free packaging.
Food
Buy Unpackaged Produce
I will avoid 2 plastic bags each shopping trip by not bagging my produce or using reusable produce bags.
At Home
Shop Used
I will buy secondhand goods to reduce the demand for new plastic products and avoid packaging.
At Home
Choose Natural Clothing Fibers
I will purchase clothing made with natural fibers, such as cotton, linen, or wool, rather than synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, acrylic or spandex.
Plastics 101
Estimate Your Plastic Footprint
I will complete a plastic consumption calculator to learn about my plastic footprint.
Plastics 101
Avoid Harmful Plastics
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polyvinyl, polystyrene and polycarbonate (#3,#6 and #7).
Plastics 101
Learn about bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastic
I will learn about what different descriptions and marketing terms mean when used on plastics.
Plastics 101
Complete a waste audit
I will spend 15 minutes conducting a waste audit- including recyclables and compost- to understand how much plastic waste I create and where I can reduce the most.
Plastics 101
Read Plastic-Free Challenge emails
I will read through the three emails each week to learn more about plastic and get ideas on how to use less.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Mitch Vanyo 2/29/2024 1:08 PMI got a cool sample of homemade laundry detergent, and now I'm thinking about giving other homemade cleaning products a try!-
Krina Damien 3/01/2024 5:55 AMDo it! Then let me know when you find some good ones! 😃
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REFLECTION QUESTIONAt Home Choose Natural Clothing FibersWhat are the benefits (to people, animals, and the environment) of purchasing clothes made with natural fibers?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care Purchase Alternative ToothpasteCurrently, most of the packaging for toothpaste is plastic. What has been your experience using plastic-free toothpaste options? How can you advocate for more alternatives through your purchasing power and influence in community?
Mitch Vanyo 2/23/2024 9:31 AMI've enjoyed my toothpowder pellets so far. It also simplifies the TSA process and gives the advantage of being able to bring the exact number you need for a trip. My current plan is just to vote with my wallet. -
Mitch Vanyo 2/21/2024 7:28 AMI don't like the idea of straws, I don't enjoy using them, I don't like the plastic waste, and yet I always forget to ask for "no straw, please." -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPlastics 101 Estimate Your Plastic FootprintWhat did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Mitch Vanyo 2/20/2024 7:32 AMIt's interesting to think about plastic in terms of weight rather than number of items. Sure, I can switch to compostable floss, but one plastic chair that gets thrown away is more plastic than all the floss I could use in my life. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPlastics 101 Learn about bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plasticWhat might you do differently since learning about bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastic?
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Mitch Vanyo 2/16/2024 7:33 AMThanks to reducing, reusing, recycling, and rotting (composting), my roommate and I can procrastinate taking out the trash for even longer. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPersonal Care Replace My ToothbrushWhat are the benefits of switching to bamboo, wood, or recycled-content toothbrushes? How could you get others to make this change, too?
Mitch Vanyo 2/16/2024 7:04 AMI love the aesthetic of my bamboo toothbrush. Bamboo and wood are renewable, while that chunk of plastic is not (and there are no material property reasons why it needs to be plastic anyways). I usually get a toothbrush in my stocking each year, so maybe I need to tell Santa I would prefer if our family received bamboo ones instead...-
Sarah Marotz 2/16/2024 4:44 PMSanta brings toothbrushes in our stockings, too. Good idea!
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Mitch Vanyo 2/06/2024 7:19 AMJust checked the leaderboard and noticed that the top 6 participants with the most points all have names that start with "J." Coincidence? -
Mitch Vanyo 2/05/2024 2:47 PMOver the weekend, I bought (plastic-free) toothpaste tablets and compostable floss (which is a good incentive for me to get back in the habit of regular flossing...). I'm a little frustrated at how expensive those things are. Sure, I'll buy them for this challenge, but I can't see them really catching on with the general public when they're 2-3x the price of the plastic options.-
Dustin Pelikan 2/16/2024 6:55 AMThis is one of my challenge topics so I appreciate the heads up.
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